Pasta Fagioli Soup

Soup is such a warming, satisfying, delicious comfort food, and when you make something like this Pasta Fagioli soup, it’s totally vegetarian without any of the baggage that goes with the label.

“Pasta” of course means pasta – whatever kind you like, although I tend to use rotini (y’know, the corkscrew pasta) because I can buy a whole package of it, use what I want, and save the rest in a Zip-Lok bag for some other time. “Fagioli” is Italian for beans. You can get dried beans and rehydrate them yourself, but the canned beans are perfect already.

This version is pretty heavy on the tomato sauce, which means the flavor is going to be pretty intense. If you want a slightly milder soup, cut the tomato sauce in half and add about a quarter-cup of water during the cooking.

Ingredients

·         CELERY, 2 stalks, chopped

·         ONION, 1 medium, chopped

·         GARLIC, 3 cloves, minced

·         DRIED PARSLEY, 2 teaspoons

·         ITALIAN SEASONING, 1 teaspoon

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         CHICKEN BROTH, 1 14.5-ounce can

·         TOMATOES, 2 medium, peeled and chopped

·         TOMATO SAUCE, 1 8-ounce can

·         PASTA, ½ cup uncooked (rotini is great)

·         CANNELLINI BEANS, 1 15-ounce can with liquid

·         PARMESAN CHEESE, grated

Directions

1.       In a large saucepan, cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, and salt until the onion is translucent.

2.       Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.

3.       Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes until pasta is tender.

4.       Add the undrained beans (I smash half first) and heat through.

5.       Serve with grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.